SBIR-STTR Award

The proposed study will develop an accurate segmental pulsatile pressure analyzer and penile segmental cuff for detecting penile blood flow and pressure pulses. The goal is to construct two prototypes for studying and evaluating male impotence.Early investigations were conducted with a cuff, specifically developed for detecting arterial blockage in limbs, which pinched the penis, and an instrument (Pulse Volume Recorder, manufactured by Life Science, Inc) which could maintain cuff inflation pressure for only 30 minutes. Dr. Karacan's previous work on male impotense has shown that the proposed device could be used to detect and evaluate penile blood pulses. His work has also precipitated the proposed specifications that such a cuff must not cause physical deformity of the penis during evaluation and that the analyzer should be accurate and capable of maintaining a constant cuff inflation pressure for 12 hours with no more that 5% droop.For this development, Dr. Balkanli will license Texas Medical Electronics Co. to use U.S. Patent #4,279,155, "A Bourdon Tube Transducer," for developing two analyzer prototypes.National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

This project will generate an accurate pressure analyzer and a segmental penile cuff for sensing penile blood pressure pulses. Based on the results of the feasibility work undertaken, the specifications of the analyzer will encompass an overall accuracy of 0.05%, a resolution of O.Olmm Hg pressure increment, a frequency band from zero to ten Hz (at 3 db), and a very low, tolerable leakage in its pneumatic system with no leakage through the transducer.Although the target application goal is to diagnose and evaluate male impotence, the analyzer can satisfy a wide variety of applications. The analyzer with a cuff is readily applicable to cardiovascular research. With a suitable pressure pickup sensor, the analyzer can be used for measurement of intracranial pressure in trauma centers and hospitals. The immediate application market of the proposed cuff and analyzer system is in sleep laboratories and in urology clinics. The next targeted market of the analyzer is trauma centers.To achieve accuracy, the analyzer will be equipped with a built-in electronic calibration chart that will correct the nonlinearities of the transfer function of the pressure transducer. The h4erxneticity of the transducer will be checked by a helium leak detector before installation into the system. As the analyzer will provide both analog and digital data output, it will be compatible with both analog recorders and computers. For the applications requiring wider frequency bandwidth, the transducer can be improved. Its computer compatibility can facilitate real time analysis.National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)